Partner Visa Witness Statements: Complete Guide to Form 888

One of the important things the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) looks at in a partner visa application is the social aspect of the relationship. This means the case officer wants to understand how you and your partner present yourselves as a couple in your community.

In simple terms, the Department wants to know whether your friends, family members, and people around you are aware of your relationship. They look at whether your relationship is openly known or kept private for any particular reason.

As part of your application, you will usually need to provide witness statements from people who know you both well, such as close friends or family members. These statements help confirm that your relationship is genuine.

However, many applicants ask an important question: Can there be too many witness statements?

The short answer is yes, but there are some important points to consider. Let’s take a closer look at how witness statements should be prepared.

Who Can Provide A Witness Statement For A Partner Visa Application?

This is a very important question and many applicants misunderstand it. Choosing the wrong witnesses can weaken your application.

Witness statements can be provided by friends, family members, co-workers, colleagues, people from social or community groups, or even gym partners. In simple terms, they should be people who know you and your partner as a couple.

Every relationship is different, so the list of witnesses will also be different. Some couples may not socialise with their colleagues, while others may have only a few friends but belong to clubs, organisations or community groups. When choosing witnesses, think about people in your own social circle who know your relationship well.

It is also important to remember that the best witness is not always the person closest to you. Instead, it should be someone who has known about your relationship for a long time and can genuinely confirm it. The length of time they have known about your relationship can be very important.

Generally, we suggest our clients provide a balanced combination of witnesses such as friends, family members, colleagues and other important people in their lives who know about the relationship and can confirm that it is genuine and continuing.

When selecting family members, it is also important to include both sides of the family, meaning the applicant’s family and the sponsor’s family. Providing statements from only one side may raise unnecessary questions. A balanced set of statements from both sides helps demonstrate that the relationship is genuine and recognised by both families.

You may choose to provide one statement from the applicant’s father and another from the sponsor’s mother. Where possible, providing a witness statement from a parent can be very helpful. Similarly, it is a good idea to choose close friends who have seen you both interacting as a couple. For example, friends who have attended social events with you, visited your shared home, gone out with you for movies or social gatherings, or taken part in cultural functions together can be strong witnesses. However, it is important to remember that the content of the witness statement is very important. The statement should clearly explain how the person knows both of you and what they know about your relationship.

Although it is not uncommon, there are cases where one or both families are not aware of the relationship. In such situations, Immigration may look more closely at the social aspects of the relationship. If both families are not aware of your relationship, it is important to clearly explain the reasons. You should provide honest and detailed information about why you chose not to share this part of your life with your parents or other family members. Make sure you use your relationship statements to explain why your families are not aware of the relationship. It is also important to explain who does know about your relationship, such as close friends or other people in your social circle.

It is not very helpful to provide a witness statement from a friend who has never met your partner and only speaks with you occasionally. I have seen cases where friends provide statements saying things like they once planned to attend a music festival together but later cancelled. They then simply say the couple has a good relationship and confirm that it is genuine. Statements like this usually do not provide much value.

Although it is possible to provide statements from friends or family who have not met your partner in person, their statements should still be meaningful. The statement should give the decision maker a clear insight into your relationship and explain how the witness knows about it.

It is also helpful to think about which of your family members or friends can express themselves clearly in writing. The content of the statement is very important. The witness should be able to explain why they believe your relationship is genuine and continuing. Choosing someone who can clearly describe their knowledge of your relationship can make the statement much stronger.

What If Family Members Cannot Provide Statements?, Are There Other Options?

Yes, there are situations where family members may not be able to provide witness statements, and this is not unusual. In some cases, family members may not support the relationship. This can happen when couples come from different religions, different cultural or ethnic backgrounds, or when the relationship is part of the LGBTQ+ community. In other situations, the applicant or their partner may simply not have a close relationship with their family members.

If this happens, it does not mean that your application will be negatively affected, but it is important to explain the situation clearly. The Department of Home Affairs will want to understand the reasons why family members are not providing statements.

In such cases, it is often helpful to seek proper guidance. Every relationship is different, and the way you explain your circumstances can make a big difference. We usually take the time to listen to your story and understand your situation before advising you on how to prepare your relationship statements and what information should be included.

The key is to provide the Department with clear and honest information. If your family members are not able to provide witness statements, you should explain this in your relationship statements and provide details about the reasons. You can also provide statements from other people who know about your relationship, such as close friends, colleagues, or members of your community.

Providing a clear explanation and strong supporting statements will help the Department better understand your relationship and the circumstances surrounding it.

How Many Form 888 Statements Should You Provide?

Many applicants ask how many witness statements they should include in their partner visa application. The Department of Home Affairs generally requires at least two witness statements. However, in practice, we usually recommend providing around four to six statements from people who know your relationship well.

You may think that the more statements you provide, the stronger your application will be. However, that is not always the case. Quality is far more important than quantity. Five to Six well-written and meaningful statements will carry much more weight than ten to twelve statements that provide very little information.

For this reason, it is important to choose your witnesses carefully. The people providing statements should know both of you as a couple and be able to explain how they have seen your relationship develop over time.

A good witness statement should give the decision maker a clear understanding of your relationship and why the witness believes it is genuine and continuing. Taking the time to select the right witnesses and preparing strong statements can make a significant difference to the overall strength of your application.

In July 2023, the Department of Home Affairs introduced an updated version of Form 888. One of the key changes is that the form no longer needs to be completed as a statutory declaration. This means witnesses are no longer required to have the form formally witnessed by an authorised person, such as a Justice of the Peace or lawyer. This change has made the process easier for many applicants and their witnesses.

This update has also made it more convenient for people providing supporting statements. Witnesses both inside and outside Australia can now complete Form 888 more easily to support your partner visa application.

Overall, this change helps reduce some of the formal requirements and allows friends and family members to provide their statements in a simpler and more accessible way.

What Should Witnesses Include In Their Statements?

When completing Form 888, your witnesses will see a number of questions that the Department of Home Affairs asks them to answer. While it is important to address these questions, simply giving short or general answers may not be enough. Very brief responses can sometimes sound vague and may not provide the case officer with a clear understanding of your relationship.

For example, a witness might say that they believe the relationship is genuine and continuing because the couple loves each other and supports each other during difficult times. While this technically answers the question, it does not provide much detail or insight into the relationship itself.

A stronger witness statement usually includes specific examples and personal observations. This helps the Department understand how the witness knows the couple and what they have personally seen or experienced about the relationship.

Witnesses can talk about several things, such as:

➡️ When they first became aware that you were in a relationship

➡️ Whether you are in a married relationship or a de facto relationship

➡️ Whether you live together as a couple

➡️ Whether they have visited your shared home

➡️ If they have spent time with both of you at social events, gatherings, or cultural functions

➡️ If they have joined you for meals, outings, or holidays together

➡️ Whether you have spoken to them about your future plans as a couple

➡️ When they last met both of you together

➡️ How you both present yourselves in social settings as a couple

➡️ Why they personally believe your relationship is genuine and continuing

The key is that the witness should describe what they have personally seen or experienced, rather than giving very general statements.

Regarding identity documents, witnesses no longer need to provide certified copies of their identification documents. However, as a good practice, it is recommended to attach a clear colour copy of the witness’s identity document with the completed Form 888. This helps the Department verify the identity of the person providing the statement.

Providing clear, detailed, and genuine statements from your witnesses can greatly assist the Department in understanding the social aspect of your relationship.

Conclusion

Witness statements are an important part of demonstrating the social aspect of your relationship in a partner visa application. Choosing the right witnesses and ensuring their statements contain clear, personal examples can significantly strengthen your application.

Rather than focusing on the number of statements, it is far more important to provide a small number of detailed and meaningful statements from people who genuinely know you as a couple. If you’re ready to get started, reach out to us today and we’ll be happy to guide you through the process.